Six Women Pioneers Who Advanced Aviation

Tuesday, March 01, 2022 at 10:31 AM ET

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Harriet Quimby started as a writer and became interested in aviation after attending the 1910 International Aviation Tournament. [Courtesy: Library of Congress]

Key Takeaways:

Women have been integral to aviation from its earliest days, with pioneers like Harriet Quimby achieving the first U.S. pilot's license for a woman and the first female crossing of the English Channel.
Trailblazers such as Jacqueline Cochran (first woman to break the sound barrier) and Ann Carl (first American woman to fly a jet) consistently pushed technological and physical boundaries in flight.
Other significant "firsts" include Neta Snook Southern (Amelia Earhart's instructor), Geraldine Mock (first woman to fly solo around the world), and Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo (first woman pilot for a major U.S. airline), demonstrating women's diverse and sustained impact on aviation.

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Editor’s Note: This article is part of a month-long series to mark Women’s History Month: March 1: Pioneers of Women’s Aviation | March 2: Carole Hopson | March 4: Martha King | March 8: Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance | March 11: The Air Race Classic | March 15: Sisters of the Skies | March 18: Women in Aviation Conference | March 22: Women In Aviation: The Numbers | March 22: The first graduating class of Air Force female pilots. | March 25: Bonny Simi of Joby Aviation | March 29: Top Female Difference Makers in Aviation

Women have been involved with airplanes since the earliest days of flight, from Katharine Wright managing her brothers’ bicycle shop and flight operations around 1903 to the first “licensed” women pilots taking to the skies a decade later, followed by barnstormers, racers, and record setters in the 1920s and 1930s.